Measuring system, image forming method, and program

• US 8,814,794 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2010
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Oishi, Takuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Jung, Unsu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mohammed, Shahdeep
• Application Number:
  US12/964,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20110149680A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,356 Days
• Field of Search: 600437-480
• US Class Current: 600/437
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0095 by applying light and detecting acoustic waves, i.e. photoacoustic measurements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/56 Details of data transmission or power supply, e.g. use of slip rings
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/1706 in solids
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/1702 with opto-acoustic detection, e.g. for gases or analysing solids

Abstract

A measuring system for receiving acoustic waves and producing image data includes an acoustic wave receiver that detects acoustic waves which are generated by irradiating a specimen with pulsed light. The acoustic wave receiver converts the detected acoustic waves into an electric signal, and an image forming apparatus generates image data by using the electric signal. An artifact attributable to a band of an acoustic wave receiver is distinguished and reduced based on the positional relationship among respective voxel data representing an actual image and a reflected image of a light absorber located within the specimen and related artifacts, as viewed on the image data, by utilizing an acoustic wave reflecting surface on which the specimen is disposed.

Claims

1. A measuring system comprising:

an acoustic wave receiver for receiving acoustic waves which are generated by irradiating light to a specimen, and for converting the received acoustic waves into an electrical signal; and

an image forming apparatus for producing image data by using the electrical signal,

wherein the acoustic wave receiver receives direct waves and reflected waves in acoustic waves generated from a detection target inside the specimen and coverts the direct waves and the reflected waves into respective electric signals, the direct waves directly reach the acoustic wave receiver, and the reflected waves are reflected by an acoustic wave reflecting surface formed by an interface between the specimen and a medium adjacent to the specimen,

the image forming apparatus includes a central processing unit (CPU) comprising;

a data producing unit for producing image data by converting the electrical signal converted from the direct waves and the electrical signal converted from the reflected waves to voxel data or pixel data;

a determining unit for determining whether, as viewed on the image data, a position of the voxel data or the pixel data converted from the direct waves and a position of the voxel data or the pixel data converted from the reflected waves are symmetrical with respect to the acoustic wave reflecting surface; and

a processing unit for executing a reduction process for images of the voxel data or the pixel data, which are determined to be not symmetrical by the determining unit.

2. The measuring system according to claim 1, further comprising an electrical signal processing circuit for converting the electrical signal, which has been converted by the acoustic wave receiver, to a digital signal,

wherein the data producing unit converts the digital signal to voxel data or pixel data.

3. The measuring system according to claim 1, wherein when the acoustic wave reflecting surface is a curved surface, the data producing unit produces the image data after executing a coordinate transform of the position of the voxel data or the pixel data converted from the reflected waves to a position of the voxel data or the pixel data, which is to be obtained when the acoustic wave reflecting surface is a flat surface.

4. A measuring system comprising:

an acoustic wave receiver for receiving acoustic waves which are generated by irradiating light to a specimen, and for converting the received acoustic waves to an electrical signal; and

an image forming apparatus for producing image data by using the electrical signal,

wherein the acoustic wave receiver receives direct waves and reflected waves in acoustic waves generated from a detection target inside the specimen and coverts the direct waves and reflected waves to respective electrical signals, the direct waves directly reach the acoustic wave receiver, and the reflected waves are reflected by an acoustic wave reflecting surface formed by an interface between the specimen and a medium adjacent to the specimen,

the image forming apparatus includes a central processing unit (CPU) comprising;

a data producing unit for producing image data by converting the electrical signal converted from the direct waves and the electrical signal converted from the reflected waves to voxel data or pixel data;

a folded-data producing unit for folding the image data at a position corresponding to the acoustic wave reflecting surface on the image data, thereby producing folded data; and

a superimposing unit for superimposing the folded data with the image data before being folded.

5. The measuring system according to claim 4, further comprising an electrical signal processing circuit for converting the electrical signal, which has been converted by the acoustic wave receiver, to a digital signal,

wherein the data producing unit converts the digital signal to voxel data or pixel data.

6. The measuring system according to claim 4, wherein when the acoustic wave reflecting surface is a curved surface, the data producing unit produces the image data after executing coordinate transform of the position of the voxel data or the pixel data converted from the reflected waves to a position of the voxel data or the pixel data, which is to be obtained when the acoustic wave reflecting surface is a flat surface.

7. A measuring system comprising:

an acoustic wave receiver for receiving acoustic waves which are generated by irradiating light to a specimen, and for converting the received acoustic waves into an electrical signal; and

an image forming apparatus for producing image data by using the electrical signal,

wherein the acoustic wave receiver receives direct waves and reflected waves in acoustic waves generated from a detection target inside the specimen and coverts the direct waves and the reflected waves to respective electric signals, the direct waves directly reach the acoustic wave receiver, and the reflected waves are reflected by an acoustic wave reflecting surface formed by an interface between the specimen and a medium adjacent to the specimen,

the image forming apparatus including a central processing unit (CPU) comprising;

a data producing unit for producing image data by converting the electrical signal converted from the direct waves and the electrical signal converted from the reflected waves to voxel data or pixel data;

a determining unit for determining whether, as viewed on the image data, a position of the voxel data or the pixel data converted from the direct waves and a position of the voxel data or the pixel data converted from the reflected waves are symmetrical with respect to the acoustic wave reflecting surface; and

a processing unit for executing a distinction process for images of the voxel data or the pixel data, which are determined to be not symmetrical by the determining unit.

8. The measuring system according to claim 7, wherein the processing unit executes coloring for the images of the voxel data or the pixel data, which are determined to be not symmetrical by the determining unit, as the distinction process.

9. The measuring system according to claim 7, further comprising an electrical signal processing circuit for converting the electrical signal, which has been converted by the acoustic wave receiver, to a digital signal,

wherein the data producing unit converts the digital signal to voxel data or pixel data.

10. The measuring system according to claim 7, wherein when the acoustic wave reflecting surface is a curved surface, the data producing unit produces the image data after executing a coordinate transform of the position of the voxel data or the pixel data converted from the reflected waves to a position of the voxel data or the pixel data, which is to be obtained when the acoustic wave reflecting surface is a flat surface.

11. The measuring system according to claim 7, wherein the processing unit cause a display apparatus to display the images of the voxel data or the pixel data processed using the distinction process.